what is the best v6 ever made?

[tig1]

Overk1ll,
Looking at the lower end of the Slant 6 brings to memory(a bad one) of the new 78 Dodge pickup Slant 6 I bought. From day one I had a vibration at about 2000-2500 RPM. After 6 months of replacing the damper pulley, fly wheel, clutch plate, Chrysler decided to replace the crank shaft. Even though that was the problem I traded it off for another vehicle.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

The 300 saw significant use in gensets, irrigation pumps and the like. It was more than just a basic truck engine and that's likely why its durability/longevity is so often touted around here. It was produced long after its use in anything automotive had ceased, I believe you can still purchase a 300 powered irrigation pump. Not so sure about gensets though

The Chrysler slant six saw service in Massey Ferguson farm equipment, Champ forklifts, Hobart welders, Vermeer Wood Chippers, heavy trucks, buses...etc...

I'm sure some company used the 250/292 Chevrolet in similar applications, but you know when you see a Chrysler slant six that it's a Chrysler slant six.



I find it VERY interesting that some of the exact same folks who defend complex engine designs of today are eager to point out the simplicity of an old straight six.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
didn't the slant six just have 4 main bearings? 300 has 6 right? my grandpa wore his 225 out 2 times in the time he owned it. rebuilt it each time. and the third time it died my dad blew it up racing a mustang. the ford lived to see another day but the mopar was dead.


Ford 300 bottom-end:

Chrysler Slant-6 bottom-end:

Pretty easy to see which one has the advantage here.....


I thought the thread was about V6 not straight?

And those slant sixes ran just as long as the fords. I had both. In fact my last GOOD Ford was my 88 with the 300 I6. After that truck they made me (slowly since I'm a slow learner

) kiss off Ford.

Bill

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
didn't the slant six just have 4 main bearings? 300 has 6 right? my grandpa wore his 225 out 2 times in the time he owned it. rebuilt it each time. and the third time it died my dad blew it up racing a mustang. the ford lived to see another day but the mopar was dead.


Ford 300 bottom-end:

Chrysler Slant-6 bottom-end:

Pretty easy to see which one has the advantage here.....


I thought the thread was about V6 not straight?

And those slant sixes ran just as long as the fords. I had both. In fact my last GOOD Ford was my 88 with the 300 I6. After that truck they made me (slowly since I'm a slow learner

) kiss off Ford.

Bill


Didn't you catch the direction change? LOL

 

[morris]

so what about a V6 made from a chrysler V8 440? would be 330 ci. or a 4 cly cut from a slant 6? even though iam not a ford fan, that 300 6 is a good engine. i have seen some VERY fast race cars with the 300 ford.

 

[Shannow]

I reckon that this engine is probably the best.
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/05/20/5000cc-v-twin-motorcycle-engine-for-sale/

At least it's a V

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL

The 300 saw significant use in gensets, irrigation pumps and the like. It was more than just a basic truck engine and that's likely why its durability/longevity is so often touted around here. It was produced long after its use in anything automotive had ceased, I believe you can still purchase a 300 powered irrigation pump. Not so sure about gensets though

The Chrysler slant six saw service in Massey Ferguson farm equipment, Champ forklifts, Hobart welders, Vermeer Wood Chippers, heavy trucks, buses...etc...

I'm sure some company used the 250/292 Chevrolet in similar applications, but you know when you see a Chrysler slant six that it's a Chrysler slant six.



I find it VERY interesting that some of the exact same folks who defend complex engine designs of today are eager to point out the simplicity of an old straight six.

I like all kinds of engines! I think I even defended the Toyota K-series OHV slant 4.
(even if they did make it slant the wrong way compared to the Chrysler

)

 

[tbm3fan]

Going farther back, if not already mentioned, was the 2.6L Cologne V6 found in the Mercury Capri in late 1971. Nice car and nice engine for driving.

 

[Shelbybob]

I had a 89 Buick LeSabre T Type with the 3.8 that went 265,000 miles. Loved that car.

 

[ledslinger]

The best as far all the parameters that matter in a passenger car, has to be an engine introduced in the last 5 or so years, due to power and fuel consumption. The best as far as most successful is the Buick/GM 231/3800. I've had a 231 and a 3800. The 3800 was in a LeSabre and got 26 MPG. Pretty impressive for a full size car at the time.

Honorable mention to the 305 GMC for innovation, and daring to be different. In reality it was a stupid decision to produce it, should have used the small block Chevy instead. I have a 305 in my 1961 GMC 4WD Suburban in my driveway and love it. I'm glad they made them. A 283 would probably outperform in in every was besides longevity and panache.

US inline sixes basically suck for two reasons, they aren't very smooth and they suck gas. I had a mid 60's Nova that on a good day got 18 MPG. They were OK when gas was 30 cents/gallon, and improved when injected. I've had several of both and always like V6s better than inlines. I really think the inlines were obsolete once the Buick 231 came out. The Ford 300 lasts and makes good power, but every truck that has one would be better off with a 302 V8. You can become enamored of a 300 Ford but its not based on practicality. Its more like voodoo punanny.

In most applications between a 4 and a V8, a V6 is perfect. And that covers a lot of territory.

The 4.3 is a great motor that is adequate and last. I don't like the exhaust note in trucks I have heard and like a V8 better in a full size pickup. I think its worth the extra expense for a loss of a couple of MPG in a Silverado to get the 4.8 V8 for the extra power, smoothness and quiet.

 

[artificialist]

I am a fan of the Nissan VQ series engines.

The Nissan VG30 series would have been perfect if they didn't use a timing belt. For some reason the Nissan VG33 engines don't last nearly as long.

I absolutely hate the GM 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4. If Nissan could build a good V6 in 1984, there was no excuse for those leaky GM V6 engines of the 1990s

 

[Anthony]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
I am a fan of the Nissan VQ series engines.

The Nissan VG30 series would have been perfect if they didn't use a timing belt. For some reason the Nissan VG33 engines don't last nearly as long.

I absolutely hate the GM 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4. If Nissan could build a good V6 in 1984, there was no excuse for those leaky GM V6 engines of the 1990s


What's the expected life of a VG33?
My dads Supercharged VG33 has 250k with no issues other than the [censored] Exhaust manifolds that crack.

Still going Strong. Leaks about half a quart of oil over a 4k interval ,but I don't think it is burning any.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Anthony
Originally Posted By: artificialist
I am a fan of the Nissan VQ series engines.

The Nissan VG30 series would have been perfect if they didn't use a timing belt. For some reason the Nissan VG33 engines don't last nearly as long.

I absolutely hate the GM 2.8, 3.1, and 3.4. If Nissan could build a good V6 in 1984, there was no excuse for those leaky GM V6 engines of the 1990s


What's the expected life of a VG33?
My dads Supercharged VG33 has 250k with no issues other than the [censored] Exhaust manifolds that crack.

Still going Strong. Leaks about half a quart of oil over a 4k interval ,but I don't think it is burning any.

My father knew 2 guys with Xterras with VG33E engines, and after 90,000 miles the engine bearings were knocking. Both of them had their oil changed every 3,000 miles.

 

[Anthony]

That's strange but DEF not the norm for a VG33. They are not the most powerful engine out there ,but one thing the majority of them are is very reliable ,and long lived.
They do have timing belts ,but any VG built mid to late 95 and beyond have a 105k change interval.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

The VG33 in our van runs great at 12.5 years old and 135k miles of mostly short trip driving. It's underpowered for a V6 though, but I guess I can't expect much seeing the design dates back to the 80s. And it's a non-interference engine.

 

[DinoOil]

I sure hope that no one mentioned the GM first gen 231 V-6 from the mid to early eighties... It ran so poorly, vibrated, drank oil, and it did 0 to 60 in about 2 states. Truly a ghastly abortion of a motor.

 

[asand1]

Detroit 6v71

 

[FXjohn]

GM 4.3 truck motor. and no it doesn't matter that much whether or not it's TBI or not.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: DinoOil
I sure hope that no one mentioned the GM first gen 231 V-6 from the mid to early eighties... It ran so poorly, vibrated, drank oil, and it did 0 to 60 in about 2 states. Truly a ghastly abortion of a motor.

The odd fire 231 was not a great motor. You could destroy those with out even trying very hard.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

I assume that disliked motor is a 90 degree block? I recall reading an SAE paper in the late '70s where GM were attempting to determine if a 90 degree V6 needed to have evenly-spaced firing, so they could leverage from V8 production tooling. They built both versions for R&D test (one with offset crank pins) but I don't recall the outcome. Meanwhile most other manufacturers just used the 60 degree block that made more sense.

V6s have been successful despite imperfect balance (I understand solved by advanced engine mounts) but I think their future will be limited to higher-powered vehicles. The turbo 4-cylinder is the engine of today, both in spark ignition and CI form.